


Shock of a Lifetime

by elizabethrene



Series: Angels Watching Over Me [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 17:12:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15320277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizabethrene/pseuds/elizabethrene
Summary: James and Lily are gone but not forgotten. What would it have been like for them to watch their son grow up without them?





	Shock of a Lifetime

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this years ago and intended it to be a multi-chapter story but I'm unreliable when it comes to finishing fics I start so I'm going to post what I have as a series of one-shots and then hopefully I'll get some more done. Please leave feedback and suggestions as to what you would like to see moving forward!

James jolted into a sitting position in what looked like the living room of his home in Godric’s Hollow. The last thing he remembered was telling Lily to take Harry and run while he bought them time against Voldemort and now all was calm and peaceful, and far too quiet. As he stood up, he noticed a knocking sound and despite his better judgment, headed to the door to see whom it could possibly be. 

The two red heads that were standing outside his door were the last two people he expected to be there, but it confirmed everything that was running through his mind from the time he regained consciousness. 

Fabian and Gideon Prewett stood there ready to answer any questions or address any concerns James had while they waited to see what Lily and Harry’s fates would be.

“He killed me, didn’t he?” The thought of what Lily must be going through right now was gut wrenching to James. The only thoughts running through his head were telling him he should have done more, should have fought harder. But there was also that section of his brain that knew it was meant to be this way. Knowing what the Prophesy said regarding Harry, it was not unexpected that Voldemort would come looking for them.

James started seething with anger at these thoughts. There was only one way Voldemort could have found their hiding place. “Wormtail! I’m going to seriously haunt that man and when he dies, I’m going to kill him!”

“Sorry Mate, but it doesn’t work like that. Once you’re here, there’s no haunting available to those still living. If you wanted that, you missed the exit to ghost town.” Fabian laughed at his own joke but quickly covered with a cough when he saw the look on his fellow Order member’s face.

“You think this is a joke! I was just killed by Voldemort, my wife now has to fight him on her own because I’m not there to help her protect our year old son from a fate he had no control over!” The twins cowered from the yells of James Potter. They were worthy only of their sister, Molly Weasley, who could make anyone shudder with just one look.  
Gideon spoke up this time. “Mate, he was just trying to lighten the mood. We know it’s a lot to take in but you’re not going to be able to deal with it until you learn to let go and go with the flow.”

James was about to retort to Gideon’s comment but he was interrupted by a voice that he would know anywhere. And it caused his heart to drop to his stomach. 

“James? What’s going on? Where’s Harry?” It was like she was waking up from a nightmare. She could sense James’ presence even without him speaking. But, like James, the last thing she remembered was Voldemort pointing his wand at her and trying to get her to move aside so he could get to Harry. 

At this point, Fabian and Gideon came into her line of sight and Lily nearly fainted with the realization of what must have happened to her small family. The thought that Harry was most likely about to join them make her knees give out. It was unfair. He only got one year to live and experience life and the love his parents showered over him. But as she took the time to pull herself together and get her breathing under control, she started to realize that too much time had passed. Harry still wasn’t there and it seemed that the men that surrounded her were starting to realize the same thing. He was just a baby, there was no way he could survive that kind of power. 

“What’s going on? Why isn’t Harry here yet?” James’ voice held all of the panic and hope that Lily was feeling to her very core. 

At that moment, James and Lily received another shock to the system. Regulus Black walked through the door looking ashen white and shocked beyond belief. 

“Regulus?! What the bloody hell are you doing here?!” James was indignant now and was reaching the breaking point. There was only so much a man who had just died and lost almost everything could take. 

“Look, you have no right to trust anything that I have to say to you right now, but I am trying to help. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here,” Regulus defended himself. 

James and Lily eyed him with looks of pure doubt. After years of being best friends with Sirius, and seeing the choices Regulus made where Voldemort was concerned, it was hard to take what he had to say without a grain of salt. 

“Guys, he’s telling the truth. I know you are dealing with a lot change and uncertainty right now, but he honestly wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t on our side. That’s not the way the afterlife works,” Gideon interjected. 

“Thank you Gideon, but I am perfectly capable of defending myself.” Even after all the time that had passed and the fact that he had seen the error of his ways, Regulus still wasn’t able to fully forget his prejudice. “Look, Potter, we will never truly be friends of any sort, but before I died, I realized that what Voldemort was pushing for was truly as horrible as you and my sorry excuse for an older brother seemed to think. I died because Voldemort found out that I was working on a way to rid the world of him once and for all. Needless to say, he didn’t really care for that plan.”

Lily, ever the voice of reason, spoke quickly in the hopes of keeping her husband’s temper in check. “Regulus, we have all the time in the world to discuss that, but right now, the only thing I wanted to hear coming from your mouth is what happened to my son. So, unless you are here to tell us that, you can leave.”

“That is precisely why I am here. Your son is perfectly healthy and safe, for the time being. He is being transported for your home in Godric’s Hollow to live with your sister, Petunia, until it is time for him to attend Hogwarts.”

“Petunia! Why?! We named Sirius Godfather. Why in Merlin’s name is he being taken to live with the woman who despises me and our kind most in the world?! And while we’re at it, how is Harry alive at all?”

“I understand that this must be a lot to take in at one time, so if you and Potter will sit down, the three of us will try and answer any questions we can.” Regulus knew he needed to get Lily to breath regularly or she was going to pass out on him. 

Only the thought of Harry and how he could possibly still be alive kept Lily and James somewhat calm and able to listen to what Regulus was telling them. 

After what seemed like an eternity to James and Lily, Fabian finally spoke. “It all started with the prophecy that Dumbledore told you about. It was the reason the two of you and Alice and Frank went into hiding. Based on the events of tonight, it seems that Voldemort chose to mark Harry as his equal, despite not knowing about that part of the prophecy. What’s even more interesting is that he chose Harry, the half-blood wizard, over Neville, the pure blood wizard. He chose the one that had the same blood status as he, himself, has.”

“Is that supposed to make us feel any better? And what does that have to do with why Harry is on his way to live with the most horrible Muggles ever to grace the planet?” It was the first time James had spoken since Regulus confessed his role in taking down Voldemort. 

“It has everything to do with it. Lily, here, did the unthinkable when she threw herself in front of Harry. All Voldemort wanted was to eliminate his competition. Based on what he shouted at her while trying to get her to move aside, Lily need not have died at all –"

“How the bloody hell was I supposed to just step aside and watch Voldemort kill my only child, my sole reason for existence once I realized James was gone?!” Lily couldn’t fathom how a mother could do something like that. Although, Lily thought to herself, standing in front of Harry like I did is something that Voldemort could never even begin to comprehend. It was with that thought that things started to click into place for Lily. “Harry’s alive because I’m dead, isn’t he?”

James looked at her like she suddenly had three dragonheads coming out of her shoulders. But when he saw Regulus nod his head towards Lily, he felt more questions fill his mind than he thought he could handle. The most pressing one slipped from his lips before he even realized what was happening. “If that were true, why didn’t my death protect Lily?”

“Lily wasn’t the one that Voldemort was after. You took on Voldemort to give Lily time to get out with Harry. Your sacrifice to give them time did help, just not in the way you were hoping. Because you died to protect the both of them, Lily’s sacrifice was made even more powerful than it would have been had you not died.” Interested to see just how well Lily truly understood the situation, Regulus continued. “And Lily that is why Harry must go to your sister.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Your sacrifice for your son was sealed by your blood relation. Therefore, the only safe place for Harry to go is where your blood also resides. Your sister is your only living relative so as long as Harry calls that place his home, Voldemort and his followers cannot touch him. And that, in and of itself, will keep him safer than you can possibly imagine right now.”

“Why do I have a feeling that you are implying that this mess is only just getting started for Harry?” James was overcome with dread for his son, who now had to face life without anyone who could even come close to caring for him. 

It was Gideon who spoke up this time. “Mate, you’ve heard the prophecy. ‘The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to the those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…’ Voldemort has chosen Harry as his equal, now it is up to him to defeat him and rid the world of his hate.”

Regulus decided that now was as good a time as any to tell James and Lily what happened after Lily died. “There’s something I should tell you. When Voldemort turned his wand upon Harry and cast the Killing Curse, it backfired on him. He is as close to being dead without actually being there as he can be. Do either of you know what a Horcrux is?” When both of the shook their heads no Regulus continued. “I thought as much. A Horcrux is an object that holds a piece of a person’s soul, thus making them unable to die as long as that piece of their soul still exists.”

“So that is why Voldemort didn’t actually die when the curse backfired on him? He has a Horcrux stored somewhere?” 

Regulus knew the question was coming, but telling her the answer wasn’t any easier. “His soul is now broken into seven pieces. There is a diary from his days at Hogwarts that holds a piece of his soul; three of the founders of Hogwarts have heirlooms that now are home to a piece of his soul: Slytherin’s Locket, Ravenclaw’s Diadem, and Hufflepuff’s Cup. Another Slytherin heirloom: a ring that has been passed down from Slytherin himself to a member of his line all the way down to Voldemort himself; and his precious snake Nagini holds a piece.”

“You’ve missed one though. You said seven, but only mentioned six,” James pointed out, afraid of where Regulus was going with this.

“Correct. A Horcrux can only be made when a person kills another person. Voldemort tended to save this act for truly triumphant moments for him. When he killed a particularly talented enemy or a person truly felt the world needed to be rid of, such as his birth father who was a Muggle, he would create a Horcrux out of a sense of victory. Tonight was to be his final Horcrux, when he had rid the world of the one who was destined to destroy him. However, when he was banished from his body because of the backfired curse, a piece of his soul was placed in Harry by mistake.”

“WHAT?!” Both Lily and James shouted and stood up at the same time. However, it was James who continued to rant. “You mean to tell me that a piece of that sorry excuse for a man is living in my son’s body!” 

“Unfortunately, yes, James. But that piece of Voldemort’s soul is what is going to ultimately save him in the end. Harry will have to make a sacrifice for those that he loves most in the world and die for them to survive.” At this statement, James and Lily gasped and held each other, fearing for their son, who seemed doomed to live a too short life. “Hold on a moment! Let me finish before you get yourselves all worked up again….Because of the Horcrux residing within him, when he dies to save those he loves, it will be the Horcrux that dies and not Harry. He will be given a choice at that point: to die and join you and those he has lost up to that point or to return and finish the fight against Voldemort once and for all.”

“Guys, because of the sacrifice you have made so that your son can live, you have by extension saved the wizarding world. Obviously not right away, but you bought them some time so those fighting against Voldemort could regroup and bring up children who are instrumental in the demise of the ‘Dark Lord.’” Fabian tried to put light on their sacrifice to help them see that what they did was what any parent would have done and that it was all a part of what they were all fighting for in the first place. 

“I think Lily and I need some time alone to process all of this. Would you mind leaving us alone for the night so we can deal with everything?” James could sense both of them had had all they could take for one night and needed to just be with Lily for a while to reassemble his brain. 

“Sure mate. When you’re ready to talk, you’ll know how to find us.” And with that Gideon, Fabian, and Regulus left the Potter’s home, unable to imagine what must be going through their minds after what had occurred that historic night in the wizarding world.


End file.
